


Pieces of Truth

by ami_ven, scifishipper



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, Jayne staying out of trouble with Mal, River is a genius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 03:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1154171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifishipper/pseuds/scifishipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jayne breaks something and River helps him fix it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pieces of Truth

Jayne maneuvered the crane, hoisting the heavy object and swinging it backwards into Serenity’s bay. He chewed on a cigar, biting down on the soggy end, smoke drifting off behind his head. 

“What’s this thing anyway?” He asked to no one in particular. He hadn’t given it much thought, but Mal had said it was worth a bundle. Always made good sense to stay informed on a job.

The wind shifted and the smoke swept into his eyes. He coughed around the stub of a cigar, tried not to spit it out onto the ground, tried to keep the cargo steady. His eyes watered and he spat the cigar out. 

“Gorram hell!” he shouted as the cargo shifted over Serenity’s deck. He grabbed at the controls, overcompensated, and watched helplessly as the tarp-covered device tilted and crashed onto the ship.

_“Da-xiang bao-zha shi de la duzi!”_ Mal shouted. “What in the hell are you doing?” 

“The load shifted! Weren’t my fault!” Jayne made himself smaller in the seat, trying to avoid Mal’s accusatory glare. 

“Well, you better get your ass shifted right now and clean up this mess. You’d better hope the gorram thing still works.” 

“Come on, Mal. Was an accident.” Jayne crawled out of the seat and picked up his still burning cigar. 

“Zoe ‘n me got to get into town. Better see this like it was by the time we get back.”

“How in the hell am I s’posed to do that?” Jayne gaped at him as he examined the jumble of parts revealed when Mal pulled off the tarp. “Don’t even know what the gorram hell it is!” Truth was, it looked sort of military, definitely not friendly. But weren’t nothing like he’d seen before.

“It’s an RDO-eleven-forty,” River called from the catwalk. 

Jayne looked up and snorted. “What do you know, little girl? _Butai zheng chang de._ ”

“Remote Detonating Ordinance. It’s a space mine.” River stepped barefoot down the metal steps, eyes on the device.

“A mine?” Jayne repeated. “You tryin’ to get us blown up!?” 

“Will not detonate,” said River, in the same absent, floating voice. “All the parts are there, but the explosive components are not included.” 

“What?” said Mal. “No, yes, what?” 

“Can’t go boom,” said River. She tilted her head to look at the mine, leaning close. “Doesn’t work right. Not all there.” 

“Hey, now,” Jayne began. Normally, he tried to ignore the doc’s sister when she started talking like that, but something about that had made him feel uncomfortable. “Ain’t broken. Just don’t have all its parts, yet. Bet’cha it’ll work just fine when they get the ‘splosives in it.” 

“Which ain’t any of our concern,” said Mal, sternly. “Now, get this mess cleaned up, and don’t let li’l Albatross get into trouble.” 

“Not a ruttin’ babysitter,” Jayne muttered, as Mal walked off to meet Zoe at the cargo ramp. Then, he rounded on River, annoyed again. “And what are you hangin’ around for, Crazy? Got work to be done.” 

“She will help,” offered River. She took a few steps back from the mine. “She will offer an alternate perspective, to allow easier transport of delicate cargo.” 

“Mean you’ll be look out?” Jayne asked. “Tell me when I’ve got it in place?” 

“Yes, exactly!” said River, happily. “She wants to help, but with Serenity’s wings folded, she feels weighed down.” 

Jayne snorted. “We’ll be out in the black afore too long, Crazy. Now, you gonna help, or not?” 

“Yes, she will help.” 

He nodded and climbed back into the seat of the crane, and started it up again. “Get back up on the walk, girl,” he said. “Don’t want those bare little toes getting’ squashed.” 

“She can outrun a monster like Jayne!” River called, teasing, but danced back up onto the catwalk. “Is he ready?” 

Jayne stuck the cigar back in his mouth. “He’s ready,” he said, then paused. “You sure this thing ain’t gonna explode on us?” 

“Sure,” replied River, then tilted her head again. “Ninety-nine-point-eight percent.”

With a growl, Jayne turned off the crane again and got back down to survey the mess. He gathered a few oddly shaped parts that had fallen off the device. He held up a rectangular bracket to show her. “Where’s this doo-hickey go?” He glanced down at the mine, searching for a place that made sense. 

“Goes on the top, like a little hat. The girl used to love hats. A yellow one with tiny flowers worn in the Spring with a dress made of butterfly wings.” Jayne’s eyes drifted up to the little nutter as she spun around above him, dancin’ like fool.

“Let’s just get this done, girl. Stop yer _fei hua._ ” This was worse than babysittin’, he thought. At least kids weren’t crazy much.

River ignored him, humming to herself as Jayne managed to put all but one angular piece into place. “Take a look at this, girlie. What’cha think?” Jayne scooted back and held up the part, starting between it and the mine.

“It is sad. Has parts missing. Does not work right without parts.” She tiptoed down the catwalk again and plopped down next to Jayne.

“What’cha doin’ girl? Weapons ain’t got no feelings.” He leaned slightly away from her.

“Is like the girl. Pretty package with a bow but nothing inside. They took out the insides. Where did they go?” River’s voice lilted high and she swayed gently next to him.

“Girl, you don’t make no sense.” 

“Sense was taken from her, too,” said River. “Goes the other way.” 

Jayne turned the part in his hand upside-down, and it fit perfectly. “Huh.” 

Slowly, River reached out a hand toward the mine, sliding her fingers along the metal. “Pieces missing, won’t work. But it isn’t the same as before. Put back together, it explodes.” 

“Don’t always,” said Jayne. All this crazy talk was making him uncomfortable, but also a mite sorry for the girl— which made him uncomfortable again. “A mine’s programmed, ain’t it? Triggered ‘n set off. They work right, and they don’t go off ‘til you want ‘em to.” 

“She had not considered this,” River said, softly, sinking down to sit on the deck. “She has been comparing current values on previous standards. But they may not be applicable to her new configuration.” 

“Gorammit, girl, can’t you say anything plain?” demanded Jayne. 

River froze, then took a deep breath. “Hands of blue…” she said, haltingly. “Took parts out. Brain parts. She doesn’t work right, anymore.” 

“Oh, hell.” Jayne sighed, then moved to drop down, cross-legged, beside her. “What those _huan dans_ did to you was awful. And, yeah, maybe your brain ain’t right anymore. But that don’t mean you’re broken. Just… just lookit what li’l Kaylee’s done with the engines! Ain’t one original part in there, I’d bet. But we’re still flyin’.” 

“Still flying,” River repeated. “She is still flying.” 

“Yeah.” 

She turned to him, smiling— not the creepifying crazy-smile she got sometimes, but a small, gentle one that made her look like a real girl. “Thank you, Jayne.” 

He snorted. “Don’t go mentionin’ it, will ya?” 

River smiled again, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “His secret is safe."


End file.
